Cable connector for battery terminals



Jan. 13, 1970 E. s. KEYSER CABLE CONNECTOR FOR BATTERY TERMINALS Filed Jan. 18, 1967 [112 611 for: E S. ffej/ser a V/O'I/ J 55%;: 51.;

United States Patent 3,489,992 CABLE CONNECTOR FOR BATTERY TERMINALS Earle S. Keyser, B0x=28, Cupar, Saskatchewan, Canada Filed Jan. 18, 1967, Ser; No. 610,184 Int. Cl. H01r 11/26 US. Cl. 339-434 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A battery clamp comprising a semicircular channelshaped body member having a tubular conductor receiving portion at one end, and an eye-bolt securing means which fits into the channel-shaped body member to secure the clamp to a battery post.

My invention relates to clamps for securing cables to the terminal posts of a storage battery. While conventional cable clamps secure a tight connection with the post, acid fumes and salt deposits often make the connection so rigid that it is difficult to disconnect the clamp and efforts to do this by force often loosen or break the terminal post. In view of this situation, one object of the present invention is to provide a clamp with a connection unit which does not encircle the terminal post, but nests it in a pocket formed in the side of the unit.

Another object is to provide a securing unit which is designed to be anchored on the terminal; post and effective to fasten the connecting unit firmly to the same.

A still further object is to form the connecting unit with jaws which are wide and secure broad surface contact with the terminal post for making a perfect electrical connection with the same. 7

Another object is to create opposed gathering forces when the connecting unit is applied to the securing unit, whereby to tighten both units to the terminal post with strong pressure.

A further object is to locate the securing feature of the clamp away from the terminal post and such acid and salt deposits it may receive, and make it easy to separate the connecting unit from the one that holds it to the terminal post.

An important object is to provide a cable clamp which comes only in two parts and therefore so simply that it may be produced inexpensively and applied without the need of skill.

A better understanding of the invention may be gained by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the connecting unit;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of the securing unit;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of the securing unit mounted on the terminal post, and the connectinghnit applied to the securing unit in readiness for engaging the clamp with the terminal post;

FIG. 4 is a section on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the clamp engaged; and 1.

FIG. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1, showing a device which fastens the clamp to thecable.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 10 denotes the connecting unit, and 11 its shank. The unit is of semicircular form and chambered from the inside. The back of the unit has a center opening 101:, while the front presents upper and lower semi-circular jaws 10b whose surfaces are broad and inclined to fit halfway around a battery terminal post 13, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The shank 11 of the connecting unit is tubular for receiving the exposed end portion of the battery cable 15. While any suitable means may be used to secure the cable in the shank,

3,489,992 Patented Jan. 13, 1970 the drawing shows that the latter is recessed at 11a to form a tongue 11b; and FIG. 6 shows that the tongue is bent into engagement with the cable.

The securing unit is in the form of an eye-bolt 20. The threaded stem 20a of the same is designed to receive a nut 22, as shown in FIG. 2. The opening 20b in the eye-bolt is of a size to fit around the terminal post 13; and the side of the opening is flat and flared in downward direction to fit the post snugly with a good electrical contact.

In order to mount the clamp on the terminal post, the nut 22 is removed from the eye-bolt 20, and the latter mounted on the post in the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; and a few light taps with the nut wrench or pliers will insure the firm engagement of the eye-bolt with the post. The second step in the application of the clamp to the post is to partly encase the eye-bolt in the hollow of the connecting unit 10, such as to the extent shown in FIG. 3, the stem 20a of the eye-bolt passing through the opening 10a; and the nut 22 may now be screwed on the end of the stem as shown in the same figure. The post 13 is now positioned between the jaws 10b. The mounting of the clamp may be completed by advancing the nut 22, the same bearing on the connecting unit 10 until the post seats in the bottom of the jaws 10b as shown in FIG. 5.

It will now be apparent that the eye-bolt 20 is only an anchoring or securing device for the application of the connecting unit. On the other hand, the jaws 10b serve as yokes with the wide engaging surfaces shown in FIG. 4 to secure a broad and sufiicient electrical contact with the terminal post, such contact being made tight when the not has been fully advanced, as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, the engagement of the clamp is procured by opposed forces which not only combine to maintain the connecting unit in engagement with the post, but also draw the eye-bolt so firmly against the post that the clamp will resist tendencies to loosen or shift from vibration. Further, in case the clamp is to be removed the retraction of the nut 22 will ordinarily free the connecting unit for separation from the terminal post; and the nut is in a place remote from acid or salt deposits, and should therefore be easy to loosen. However, in case the connecting unit still clings to the post after the removal of the nut because of a clogged condition, it is noted that the unit is only applied halfway around the post. Therefore, a tap or two with the wrench or pliers used for turning the nut should loosen the unit. The eye-bolt then becomes eX- posed, and should be removable without difficulty. However, in case it has become rigid with the post because of acid or salt deposits, it can be left in place until the clamp is again applied, or replaced by another eye-bolt in case the clamp is to be applied to a new battery.

In conclusion, it will be apparent that the novel battery cable clamp is a device which is so simple as to be inexpensive to produce; that it serves as an eflicient connector for the cable; and that its removal is convenient and without the hazard of straining or damaging the terminal posts of the battery.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A combined cable carrier and clamp assembly for detachable mounting on a terminal post of a storage battery and comprising firstly, a main post-engaging connector unit; secondly, an eye bolt having a threaded stem and whose eye is adapted to receive said battery post; and thirdly, a nut to be threaded onto the eye bolt stern for final binding of the assembly on said post, the improve ment which comprises one end of said main unit providing a substantially tubiform cable end-receiving sleeve with means for securing a cable end therein, the other end of said main unit comprising a substantially semi-circular and cross sectionally channel-form head providing laterally spaced side walls and an arcuate bight wall connecting therewith, said side walls defining a substantially semicircular battery post half-receiving seat for facing the post from one side of the latter, and said side walls being thickened at their free edges to provide post-engaging gripping jaws of substantial width for efiicient electrical post contact and in cooperation with the coextensive bight wall to exclude foreign matter from the space between the side walls when the main unit is clamped to a post, the bight wall being functionally integral with the inner end of said post-receiving sleeve which latter is located adjacent one end of said head, the mid-portion of said bight wall having a hole through which the eye bolt stem extends when the bolt eye is disposed about the post and the semi-circular recess-provided seat of the 15 main unit is in opposed adjacency to said post, the lateral spacement of said walls being greater than the thickness of the bolt eye to admit spaced reception of the bolt eye therebetween, and the exteriordiameterof the bolt eye being such that the major portion of the latter will be spaced at all times from the bight wall of said post seat,

whereby to assure of free relative separating movement of the eye bolt and main unit upon removal of the nut fromthe eye bolt stem.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,624,047 4/ 1927 Gill 339234 1,813,829 7/1931 Vaccaro 339234 2,712,639 7/1955 Dickinson 339234 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,309,299 10/1962 France.

340,671 1/ 1931 Great Britain. 447,271 5/ 1936 Great Britain.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner J. H. McGLYNN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. XR. 

